Using in another country

[weamish]

The help file is a bit confusing on this topic. My Kindle is registered in the US. I'll be traveling in Ireland, is there anything I need to be aware of? Will the free email to name@free.kindle.com still work ok? What about the wireless and 3G connections? Thanks!

Steve

[cryzed]

If you are able to somehow connect to a Wi-Fi network in Ireland with internet access you will still be able to download the documents that were sent to your "name"@free.kindle.com address.

Check this map provided by Amazon regarding 3G coverage in Ireland.

[shel]

I'm using a US-registered Kindle III in France.

The WiFi works for everything, including web browsing.

The 3G works for the Kindle store and for Wikipedia look-ups. Other sites are blocked. Not surprising, given the cost of normal phone calls here.

I can't tell you a thing about Ireland, but free WiFi, or finding an open node, is pretty rare here. The normal home DSL "modem" and router (the "Livebox" from Orange, formerly France Telecom) defaults to WPA, so finding an open one is very rare. Some cafes and other places have open WiFi, but it's not like the States where they are all over.

-Shel

[JuniperPearl]

I'm not positive with how well WiFi or 3G will work in Ireland, as I've never been, but I used my US Kindle 2 in Mexico last week with no issues. When I turned on Whispernet it immediately recognized that I was out of the country and downloaded an "Important Reminder about International Delivery Fees" which detailed fees.

There are fees for:
-newspaper, magazine, or blog subscriptions delivered via Whispernet - $4.99/week
-personal documents delivered to the Kindle via Whispernet - $0.99/megabyte

These fees do not apply if you are connected via WiFi, ONLY 3G.

There is no fee for Whispernet 3G to receive books, single periodical issues, access archived items, browse the Kindle store, or to use the experimental web browser (copied almost verbatim from the message I received from Amazon.) I was able to access all web sites, but this may not be possible in Ireland.

[shel]

Update!

I wrote my previous message in one area of France, and now I'm in another.

The web-over-3G didn't work then, but it does now. I can't tell whether this is an actual change in the way things work, or whether it depends on the area, the 3G carrier, or the phase of the moon.

Naturally, this doesn't mean squat about how things might work in Ireland.

-Shel

[carnivore]

To expand, every time you move to a non-us location after having used the wireless in the us, it will send you the "Important reminder about International Delivery Fees" message.

I have had excellent 3G coverage everywhere I've been, and I live in a small town in Chile.

It was awesome when I was in the Kona airport in Hawaii and the Japan earthquake had just hit. I was able to hop onto Facebook and see that my friend in Tokyo had posted. Pshew!

[terencek]

I'm confused: does this all mean that even though we might live in a country where the Kindle has totally free 3G coverage (in my own case, South Africa), we might actually have to pay to download periodicals subscribed to through Amazon? I was thinking about subscribing to a newspaper which now has a Kindle version, but not if there's an extra delivery fee involved!

[carnivore]

Originally Posted by terencek

I'm confused: does this all mean that even though we might live in a country where the Kindle has totally free 3G coverage (in my own case, South Africa), we might actually have to pay to download periodicals subscribed to through Amazon? I was thinking about subscribing to a newspaper which now has a Kindle version, but not if there's an extra delivery fee involved!

I believe this is true. In addition, the per-megabyte fee for personal documents over 3G is increased to USD$1, rounded up to the next meg.

I am moving to Cape Town in a few months. It appears that coverage is good--can you confirm?